Epiphone Viola Bass vs Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay Special

Either way, the tuners on the Epi are modern and functional, and work just as good as the ones on MIA instruments. They stay in tune very well - and that's not the case even with Paul's German made Hofner (as has been quoted in the Beatles Gear book), let alone the Indonesian replica. I would say both the Epi and the Hofner are equivalent in terms of the tailpieces they use. The bridges on these two instruments look almost identical to me

The special has such an amazing mid range that means it will fit in the mix much better and has a more vintage tone. I absolutely adore it but I can't afford it yet so instead I'm using a Sterling with the treble cut and pressure wound strings to emulate it. Imo though the stingray special can do the classic stingray sound easily plus more sounds in a way other models can't do as well.

The only problem with this bass (and any other violin bass, or any bass with a moveable bridge) is that getting the intonation perfect is near impossible. But with a little bit of adjusting and fiddling you can get it pretty close and sounding great.

Musicman stingray honeyburst with a black pickguard, maple neck and rosewood fretboard, basically davie504’s bass

It is so easy (on the hands) to play. It is light enough that its weight is not an issue. The electronics, hardware and construction have upheld so well. Great purchase (I've changed my 4-stars to 5-stars)

Ernie ball music man stingray HH. I have a 2006 and had it since 2008. It’s active and the best bass I’ve ever owned in terms of playability and versatility. Can’t recommend it enough